Aloo Gobi (Potato and Cauliflower)

How many of you have watched the film ‘ Bend it Like Beckham’? If you haven’t, please watch 🙂 It’s a fun film about a girl’s football club in England and an Indian girl trying to make football her career, facing some resistance along the way. It has some lovely music, some really funny lines and shines light on how girls in sport are not always looked upon favourably. Boo.

Anyway, enough about the film’s story. The reason I bring it up, is a line in the film. The Punjabi mother asks the girl whether or not she knows how to make aloo gobi. Aloo gobi is used as a symbol of basic, easy yet tasty home food that every girl must know, in order to be a good wife/mother/Indian girl etc etc. While that I don’t think is true (at all!), the way ‘aloo gobi’ was said in that line has stuck with me. It’s even cooler when the girl tells her friend ‘Anyone can cook aloo gobi, but who can bend a ball like Beckham?’ YEAHHHH! Way to go! This movie made aloo gobi iconic! Who’d have thunk it? 😀

Whenever I cook this dish, I hear this line in my head. Sometimes I say it out loud too. Even though I have zero football skills.

Aloo gobi is a fairly staple dishes in north India. It’s a quick meal and best had with dal and chapatis. Remember, I love potatoes, so a dish with potatoes that is this light and tasty, makes it to the top of my list really fast 🙂

So along with the comfort of simple home food, this dish also brings with it fond memories of cheering for Jas from Bend it like Beckham. Here’s to all girls following their dreams ! And being powered by aloo gobi every now and then, since it is so simple that anyone can make it for them 🙂